Exposure setting apparatus, control method thereof, and storage medium

ABSTRACT

There is provided an exposure setting apparatus. A display control unit performs control to display a coordinate system region, a first indicator, and a second indicator on a display unit. The coordinate system region represents a coordinate system that includes a first axis corresponding to a first exposure control parameter and a second axis corresponding to a second exposure control parameter. The first indicator indicates positions, in the coordinate system region, of a plurality of combinations of a value of the first exposure control parameter and a value of the second exposure control parameter that correspond to a predetermined exposure. The second indicator indicates a position, in the coordinate system region, of a combination of the setting value of the first exposure control parameter and the setting value of the second exposure control parameter.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an exposure setting apparatus, acontrol method thereof, and a storage medium.

Description of the Related Art

In a digital camera, control for appropriately setting the exposure atthe time of capturing an image of a subject is performed in line with aso-called image capturing intent, that is to say, what kind of image auser wishes to capture. For example, the user selects a mode, such as anaperture priority mode and a shutter speed priority mode, and sets theaperture amount or the shutter speed in accordance with the selectedmode. In a digital camera, along with the setting of the aperture amountor the shutter speed by the user, other setting values are decided onautomatically, and the exposure is decided on based on these settingvalues.

However, there has been a problem that a user who is not familiar withimage capturing cannot intuitively understand how other setting valueschange and the exposure is decided on as a result of changing a certainsetting value in these modes, and the user has a hard time mastering theuse. For example, in the shutter speed priority mode, if the shutterspeed is reduced in line with an image capturing intent of producing aphotograph showing the flowing water of a river, the aperture value isreduced (the aperture closes) and the depth of field increases inconsequence; as a result, background blurring is difficult to achieve.There has been a problem that a user who is not familiar with imagecapturing cannot understand this relationship, and has a hard timesetting a combination of the shutter speed, the aperture value, and thelike (exposure conditions) that is just right for an image capturingintent.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-96682 discloses display of a graphwith a horizontal axis representing the exposure period (shutter speed)and a vertical axis representing the aperture value, and presentation ofa recommended setting region that achieves an appropriate exposureperiod and an appropriate aperture value on this graph. A user can inputan appropriate exposure period and an appropriate aperture value bydesignating one point on the graph with reference to this recommendedsetting region.

However, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-96682 aims at a case where auser sets both of the shutter speed and the aperture value. That is tosay, with the technique of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-96682, auser cannot intuitively understand changes in setting values in a modein which other setting values are decided on automatically in accordancewith the setting of partial setting values by the user, such as anaperture priority mode and a shutter speed priority mode.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing situation.The present invention provides a technique that enables a user tointuitively understand the influence of a change in one setting value onanother setting value in a situation where another setting value isdecided on automatically based on one setting value so that acombination of setting values of two exposure control parameterscorresponds to predetermined exposure.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is providedan exposure setting apparatus, comprising: an obtainment unit configuredto obtain a setting value of a first exposure control parameter; a firstdecision unit configured to decide on a setting value of a secondexposure control parameter based on the setting value of the firstexposure control parameter so that a combination of the setting value ofthe first exposure control parameter and the setting value of the secondexposure control parameter corresponds to predetermined exposure; and adisplay control unit configured to perform control to display acoordinate system region, a first indicator, and a second indicator on adisplay unit, the coordinate system region representing a coordinatesystem that includes a first axis corresponding to the first exposurecontrol parameter and a second axis corresponding to the second exposurecontrol parameter, the first indicator indicating positions, in thecoordinate system region, of a plurality of combinations of a value ofthe first exposure control parameter and a value of the second exposurecontrol parameter that correspond to the predetermined exposure, thesecond indicator indicating a position, in the coordinate system region,of the combination of the setting value of the first exposure controlparameter and the setting value of the second exposure controlparameter.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provideda control method of an exposure setting apparatus, comprising: obtaininga setting value of a first exposure control parameter; deciding on asetting value of a second exposure control parameter based on thesetting value of the first exposure control parameter so that acombination of the setting value of the first exposure control parameterand the setting value of the second exposure control parametercorresponds to predetermined exposure; and performing control to displaya coordinate system region, a first indicator, and a second indicator ona display unit, the coordinate system region representing a coordinatesystem that includes a first axis corresponding to the first exposurecontrol parameter and a second axis corresponding to the second exposurecontrol parameter, the first indicator indicating positions, in thecoordinate system region, of a plurality of combinations of a value ofthe first exposure control parameter and a value of the second exposurecontrol parameter that correspond to the predetermined exposure, thesecond indicator indicating a position, in the coordinate system region,of the combination of the setting value of the first exposure controlparameter and the setting value of the second exposure controlparameter.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provideda non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which stores a programfor causing a computer to execute a control method comprising: obtaininga setting value of a first exposure control parameter; deciding on asetting value of a second exposure control parameter based on thesetting value of the first exposure control parameter so that acombination of the setting value of the first exposure control parameterand the setting value of the second exposure control parametercorresponds to predetermined exposure; and performing control to displaya coordinate system region, a first indicator, and a second indicator ona display unit, the coordinate system region representing a coordinatesystem that includes a first axis corresponding to the first exposurecontrol parameter and a second axis corresponding to the second exposurecontrol parameter, the first indicator indicating positions, in thecoordinate system region, of a plurality of combinations of a value ofthe first exposure control parameter and a value of the second exposurecontrol parameter that correspond to the predetermined exposure, thesecond indicator indicating a position, in the coordinate system region,of the combination of the setting value of the first exposure controlparameter and the setting value of the second exposure controlparameter.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments with reference to theattached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an external view of a digital camera 100.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an exemplary configuration of thedigital camera 100.

FIGS. 3A to 3C are a flowchart showing the flow of the setting ofexposure conditions in an aperture priority mode.

FIG. 4A is a diagram showing a screen that is displayed on a displayunit 28 in step S303 of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a screen that is displayed on the displayunit 28 in step S304 of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4C is a diagram showing a screen that is displayed on the displayunit 28 through processing of steps S312 and S313 of FIG. 3B.

FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a screen that is displayed on the displayunit 28 through processing of steps S322 to S325 of FIG. 3C.

FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a screen that is displayed on the displayunit 28 through processing of steps S328 to S330 of FIG. 3C.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are a flowchart showing the flow of the setting ofexposure conditions in a shutter speed priority mode.

FIG. 7A is a diagram showing a screen that is displayed on the displayunit 28 in step S604 of FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a screen that is displayed on the displayunit 28 through processing of steps S312 and S613 of FIG. 6A and FIG.6B.

FIG. 8A is a diagram showing a screen that is displayed on the displayunit 28 through processing of steps S622 to S625 of FIG. 6C.

FIG. 8B is a diagram showing a screen that is displayed on the displayunit 28 through processing of steps S628 to S630 of FIG. 6C.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference tothe attached drawings. Note, the following embodiments are not intendedto limit the scope of the claimed invention. Multiple features aredescribed in the embodiments, but limitation is not made an inventionthat requires all such features, and multiple such features may becombined as appropriate. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the samereference numerals are given to the same or similar configurations, andredundant description thereof is omitted.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 shows an external view of a digital camera 100 that serves as anexample of an exposure setting apparatus (electronic device) to whichthe present invention can be applied. A display unit 28 is a displayunit that displays images and various types of information. A shutterbutton 61 is an operation unit for issuing a shooting instruction. Amode changing switch 60 is an operation unit for switching among varioustypes of modes. A connector 112 is a connector between a connectioncable 111, which is intended to establish connection with an externaldevice, such as a personal computer and a printer, and the digitalcamera 100. An operation unit 70 is an operation unit that is composedof such operation members as various types of switches, buttons, and atouch panel that accept various types of operations from a user. Acontroller wheel 73 is an operation member that is included in theoperation unit 70 and can be operated by rotation. A power switch 72 isa push button for switching between power-ON and power-OFF. A recordingmedium 200 is a recording medium, such as a memory card and a hard disk.A recording medium slot 201 is a slot for storing the recording medium200. The recording medium 200 stored in the recording medium slot 201can communicate with the digital camera 100, and can perform recordingand reproduction. A cover 202 is a cover for the recording medium slot201. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the cover 202 is open, and a part ofthe recording medium 200 has been extracted from the recording mediumslot 201 and is exposed.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an exemplary configuration of thedigital camera 100 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, aphotographing lens 103 is a lens group including a zoom lens and afocusing lens. A shutter 101 is a shutter with an aperture function. Animage capturing unit 22 is an image sensor composed of, for example, aCCD or CMOS sensor that converts an optical image into an electricalsignal. An A/D converter 23 converts an analog signal into a digitalsignal. The A/D converter 23 is used to convert an analog signal outputfrom the image capturing unit 22 into a digital signal. A barrier 102covers an image capturing system of the digital camera 100, includingthe photographing lens 103, so as to prevent the image capturing systemincluding the photographing lens 103, the shutter 101, and the imagecapturing unit 22 from being soiled or damaged.

An image processing unit 24 performs predetermined pixel interpolation,resizing (e.g., reduction) processing, and color conversion processingwith respect to data from the A/D converter 23 or data from a memorycontrol unit 15. The image processing unit 24 also performspredetermined computational processing using captured image data. Basedon the computational result obtained by the image processing unit 24, asystem control unit 50 performs exposure control and range-findingcontrol. As a result, TTL (through-the-lens) AF (autofocus) processing,AE (automatic exposure) processing, and EF (preliminary flash emission)processing are performed. Furthermore, the image processing unit 24performs predetermined computational processing using captured imagedata, and performs TTL AWB (auto white balance) processing based on theobtained computational result.

Output data from the A/D converter 23 is written directly into a memory32 via the image processing unit 24 and the memory control unit 15, orvia the memory control unit 15. The memory 32 stores image data that hasbeen obtained by the image capturing unit 22 and converted into digitaldata by the A/D converter 23, and image data to be displayed on thedisplay unit 28. The memory 32 has a storage capacity sufficient tostore a predetermined number of still images, as well as moving imagesand audio of a predetermined duration.

The memory 32 also functions as a memory for image display (videomemory). A D/A converter 13 converts data for image display stored inthe memory 32 into an analog signal, and supplies the analog signal tothe display unit 28. In this way, image data for display that has beenwritten into the memory 32 is displayed by the display unit 28 via theD/A converter 13. The display unit 28 performs display on a displaydevice, such as an LCD, in accordance with an analog signal from the D/Aconverter 13. Digital signals that have undergone the A/D conversion inthe A/D converter 23 and have been accumulated in the memory 32 areconverted into analog signals in the D/A converter 13, and then theanalog signals are sequentially transferred to and displayed on thedisplay unit 28; in this way, the display unit 28 functions as anelectronic viewfinder and can display through-the-lens images. Displayof through-the-lens images is also referred to as live-view display (LVdisplay). Hereinafter, images that are displayed in the form oflive-view are referred to as live-view images (LV images).

A nonvolatile memory 56 is a memory that serves as an electricallyerasable and recordable recording medium; for example, an EEPROM or thelike is used thereas. For example, constants and programs for theoperations of the system control unit 50 are stored in the nonvolatilememory 56. The programs mentioned here refer to computer programs forexecuting various types of flowcharts, which will be described later, inthe present embodiment.

The system control unit 50 is a control unit that includes at least oneprocessor or circuit, and controls the entirety of the digital camera100. The system control unit 50 realizes each processing of the presentembodiment, which will be described later, by executing a programrecorded in the nonvolatile memory 56 mentioned earlier. For example, aRAM is used as a system memory 52. Constants and variables for theoperations of the system control unit 50, programs that have been readout from the nonvolatile memory 56, and the like are deployed to thesystem memory 52. The system control unit 50 also performs displaycontrol by controlling the memory 32, the D/A converter 13, the displayunit 28, and the like.

A system timer 53 is a time measurement unit that measures the timesused in various types of control and the time of a built-in clock.

The mode changing switch 60, the shutter button 61, and the operationunit 70 are operation units for inputting various types of operationalinstructions to the system control unit 50. The mode changing switch 60switches an operation mode of the system control unit 50 to one of astill image recording mode, a moving image shooting mode, a reproductionmode, and so on. Examples of modes included in the still image recordingmode are an auto shooting mode, an auto scene distinction mode, a manualmode, an aperture priority mode (Av mode), a shutter speed priority mode(Tv mode), and a program AE mode. Other examples are various types ofscene modes in which shooting settings are configured separately foreach shooting scene, and a custom mode. Using the mode changing switch60, the user can switch directly to one of these modes. Alternatively,it is permissible to first switch to a shooting mode list screen usingthe mode changing switch 60, and then select one of a plurality of modesthat have been displayed and switch thereto using another operationmember. Likewise, the moving image shooting mode may also include aplurality of modes.

A first shutter switch 62 is turned ON and generates a first shutterswitch signal SW1 partway through an operation performed on the shutterbutton 61 provided in the digital camera 100, that is to say, when thebutton is depressed halfway (a shooting preparation instruction). Inresponse to the first shutter switch signal SW1, the system control unit50 starts the operations of AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automaticexposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, EF(preliminary flash emission) processing, and the like.

A second shutter switch 64 is turned ON and generates a second shutterswitch signal SW2 upon completion of the operation performed on theshutter button 61, that is to say, when the button is fully depressed (ashooting instruction). In response to the second shutter switch signalSW2, the system control unit 50 starts a series of operations ofshooting processing, from reading of signals from the image capturingunit 22 to writing of image data into the recording medium 200.

For example, performing an operation of selecting various types offunction icons displayed on the display unit 28 will assign functions tothe respective operation members of the operation unit 70 as appropriateon a scene-by-scene basis; as a result, the respective operation membersact as various types of function buttons. Examples of the functionbuttons include an end button, a return button, a next image button, ajump button, a refinement button, an attribute change button, and so on.For example, when a menu button is pressed, a menu screen on whichvarious types of settings can be configured is displayed on the displayunit 28. The user can configure various types of settings intuitivelyusing the menu screen displayed on the display unit 28, four directionalbuttons corresponding to up, down, left, and right, and a SET button.

The controller wheel 73 is an operation member that is included in theoperation unit 70 and can be operated by rotation, and is used togetherwith the directional buttons to, for example, issue an instructionregarding an item to be selected. When the controller wheel 73 isoperated by rotation, an electrical pulse signal is generated inaccordance with the amount of operation, and the system control unit 50controls each component of the digital camera 100 based on this pulsesignal. The angle by which the controller wheel 73 has been operated byrotation, how many times it has been rotated, and the like can bedetermined using this pulse signal. Note that the controller wheel 73may be any operation member as long as the rotational operation can bedetected. For example, it may be a dial operation member that allows thecontroller wheel 73 itself to rotate to generate the pulse signal inaccordance with the rotational operation performed by the user.Furthermore, it may be an operation member which is composed of a touchsensor, and which does not allow the controller wheel 73 itself torotate but detects a rotating motion and the like of the user's fingeron the controller wheel 73 (a so-called touch wheel).

A power control unit 80 is composed of, for example, a battery detectioncircuit, a DC-DC converter, and a switch circuit for switching among theblocks to which electric current is supplied, and detects whether abattery is loaded, the battery type, and the remaining battery power.The power control unit 80 also controls the DC-DC converter based on theresults of such detection and an instruction from the system controlunit 50, and supplies a necessary voltage for a necessary period to therespective components of the digital camera 100, including the recordingmedium 200. A power unit 30 is composed of a primary battery (e.g., analkaline battery and a lithium battery), a secondary battery (e.g., aNiCd battery, a NiMH battery, and a lithium-ion battery), an AC adapter,or the like.

A recording medium I/F 18 is an interface with the recording medium 200,which is a memory card, a hard disk, or the like. The recording medium200 is a recording medium, such as a memory card, for recording shotimages, and is composed of a semiconductor memory, an optical disc, amagnetic disk, or the like.

A communication unit 54 connects to an external device wirelessly or viaa wired cable, and transmits and receives video signals, audio signals,and the like. The communication unit 54 can also connect to a wirelessLAN (Local Area Network) and the Internet. Furthermore, thecommunication unit 54 can communicate with an external device also viaBluetooth® and Bluetooth Low Energy. The communication unit 54 cantransmit images captured by the image capturing unit 22 (including LVimages) and images recorded in the recording medium 200, and can alsoreceive image data and other various types of information from anexternal device.

An attitude detection unit 55 detects the attitude of the digital camera100 relative to the gravitational direction. Whether an image shot bythe image capturing unit 22 is an image that was shot with the digitalcamera 100 held horizontally or an image that was shot with the digitalcamera 100 held vertically can be distinguished based on the attitudedetected by the attitude detection unit 55. The system control unit 50can add orientation information corresponding to the attitude detectedby the attitude detection unit 55 to an image file of images captured bythe image capturing unit 22, record images in a rotated state, and soon. An acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like can be used asthe attitude detection unit 55. It is also possible to detect a motionof the digital camera 100 (e.g., whether the digital camera 100 ispanning, tilting, lifted, or stationary) using the acceleration sensoror the gyro sensor serving as the attitude detection unit 55.

Note that the digital camera 100 includes, as a part of the operationunit 70, a touch panel 70 a that is capable of detecting contact withthe display unit 28. As shown in FIG. 1, the touch panel 70 a and thedisplay unit 28 can be configured as an integrated unit. For example,the touch panel 70 a is configured to have a light transmittance thatdoes not interfere with display of the display unit 28, and is attachedto the top layer of the display surface of the display unit 28. Then,input coordinates of the touch panel 70 a are associated with displaycoordinates on a display screen of the display unit 28. This makes itpossible to provide a GUI (graphical user interface) in which the userseems capable of directly manipulating a screen displayed on the displayunit 28. The system control unit 50 can detect the following operationsor states with respect to the touch panel 70 a.

-   -   Newly touching the touch panel 70 a with a finger or a stylus        that had not been touching the touch panel 70 a. In other words,        this is the start of a touch (hereinafter referred to as a        “touch-down”).    -   A state in which a finger or a stylus is touching the touch        panel 70 a (hereinafter referred to as a “touch-on”).    -   Moving a finger or a stylus while it is touching the touch panel        70 a (hereinafter referred to as a “touch-move”).    -   Releasing a finger or a stylus that had been touching the touch        panel 70 a therefrom. In other words, this is the end of a touch        (hereinafter referred to as a “touch-up”).    -   A state in which nothing is touching the touch panel 70 a        (hereinafter referred to as a “touch-off”).

When a touch-down is detected, a touch-on is detected at the same time.A touch-on normally continues to be detected after a touch-down as longas no touch-up is detected. A touch-move being detected is also a statein which a touch-on is detected. Even if a touch-on is detected, atouch-move is not detected as long as the touched position does notmove. A touch-off occurs after a touch-up has been detected for allfingers or styluses that had been touching.

These operations/states, as well as the positional coordinates on thetouch panel 70 a where a finger or a stylus is touching, arecommunicated to the system control unit 50 through an internal bus. Thesystem control unit 50 determines what type of operation (touchoperation) has been made on the touch panel 70 a based on thecommunicated information. With respect to a touch-move, the movingdirection of a finger or a stylus moving on the touch panel 70 a canalso be determined, based on changes in the positional coordinates, foreach of a vertical component and a horizontal component on the touchpanel 70 a.

It is assumed that when a touch-move of a predetermined distance orlonger has been detected, it is determined that a slide operation hasbeen performed. An operation of rapidly moving a finger by a certaindistance while the finger is touching the touch panel 70 a and thenreleasing the finger therefrom is called a flick. In other words, aflick is a rapid tracing operation in which the touch panel 70 a isflicked with a finger. When a touch-up is detected directly afterdetection of a touch-move of a predetermined distance or longer and apredetermined speed or higher, it can be determined that a flick hasbeen performed (it can be determined that a flick has been performedfollowing a slide operation). Furthermore, in a case where a pluralityof locations (e.g., two points) are touched at the same time, a touchoperation of moving the touched positions closer to each other is calleda “pinch-in”, whereas a touch operation of moving the touched positionsapart from each other is called a “pinch-out”. A pinch-out and apinch-in are collectively referred to as pinch operations (or simply“pinch”).

Any of a variety of types of touch panels, such as a resistive filmtype, a capacitance type, a surface acoustic wave type, an infraredtype, an electromagnetic induction type, an image recognition type, andan optical sensor type, may be used as the touch panel 70 a. Dependingon the type, a touch is detected when contact is made with the touchpanel, or a touch is detected when a finger or a stylus has approachedthe touch panel; either of these types may be used.

Below is a detailed description of the setting of exposure conditionsusing the exposure setting apparatus (digital camera 100) of FIG. 1.First, a description is given of a case where the shutter speed isdecided on automatically based on another setting, such as a case wherethe “aperture priority mode” is set as an image capturing mode.

FIGS. 3A to 3C are a flowchart showing the flow of the setting ofexposure conditions in the aperture priority mode using the exposuresetting apparatus (digital camera 100) of FIG. 1. Processing ofrespective steps of the present flowchart is realized as the systemcontrol unit 50 of the digital camera 100 deploys a processing programrecorded in the nonvolatile memory 56 to the system memory 52 andexecuting the processing program, unless specifically stated otherwise.Processing of the present flowchart is started when a user turns ON thepower of the digital camera 100 and sets the aperture priority mode asthe image capturing mode.

In step S301, the system control unit 50 starts image capturing for LVdisplay under predetermined image capturing setting conditions, forexample, predetermined focus, exposure, white balance, aperture value,shutter speed, and ISO sensitivity. For example, various types ofconditions that were set before the power was turned OFF are restoredand used as the predetermined image capturing setting conditions; this,however, depends on the specification of the digital camera 100.

In step S302, the system control unit 50 performs LV display bydisplaying the video that is being captured by the image capturing unit22 on the display unit 28 (touch display).

In step S303, the system control unit 50 displays a coordinate systemwith a vertical axis representing the aperture value and a horizontalaxis representing the shutter speed on the display unit 28 (touchdisplay). FIG. 4A is a screen that is displayed on the display unit 28in step S303; 401 denotes live-view display, 402 denotes a coordinatesystem region, 403 denotes shutter speed display, 404 denotes aperturedisplay, 405 denotes ISO sensitivity display, and 406 denotes exposurelevel display.

In step S304, the system control unit 50 displays a horizontal bar (afirst line segment parallel to the horizontal axis) at a positioncorresponding to the current setting value of the aperture within thecoordinate system region 402 displayed in step S303. The “currentsetting value of the aperture” mentioned here is the setting value formain shooting. The aperture value that is used in image capturing for LVdisplay is not always the same as the setting value for main shooting.It is assumed that in the following description, when the term “settingvalue” is used with respect to an exposure control parameter, such asthe aperture value and the shutter speed, it refers to a value that hasbeen set as a value of an exposure control parameter that is used inmain shooting. The system control unit 50 can obtain the aperture valuethat was used in the previous main shooting from, for example, thenonvolatile memory 56 as the current setting value of the aperture.

FIG. 4B is a screen that is displayed on the display unit 28 in stepS304; 411 denotes the horizontal bar. As a result of executingprocessing of step S304 following step S303, the state of the displayunit 28 makes a transition from FIG. 4A to FIG. 4B. Here, the systemcontrol unit 50 displays the horizontal bar 411 in an enhanced mannerby, for example, giving a specific color (e.g., orange) to thehorizontal bar 411, displaying the horizontal bar 411 as a thick bar, orsurrounding the horizontal bar 411 with a line. This enhanced display isperformed with an intention to allow the user to recognize that theaperture value indicated by the horizontal bar 411 can be changeddirectly by a user operation.

In step S305, the system control unit 50 determines whether the user hasperformed an aperture value changing operation by, for example,operating a diaphragm ring (not shown) of the lens. When it isdetermined that the aperture value changing operation has beenperformed, processing proceeds to step S306; otherwise, processingproceeds to step S308.

In step S306, the system control unit 50 changes the aperture value (thesetting value for main shooting) in accordance with the substance of theaperture value changing operation (e.g., the direction and the amount ofthe operation performed on the diaphragm ring), moves the position ofthe horizontal bar 411 in the coordinate system region 402 to theposition corresponding to the changed aperture value, and displays theresultant horizontal bar 411.

In step S307, the system control unit 50 adjusts the display imagequality of live-view display so that live-view display is performed withgood visibility also under the changed aperture value. Thereafter,processing returns to step S304.

Meanwhile, in step S308, the system control unit 50 determines whether aphotometry instruction has been issued, for example, the user hasperformed so-called halfway depression of the shutter button 61 (aninstruction for image capturing preparation operations). When it isdetermined that the photometry instruction has been issued, processingproceeds to step S309; otherwise, processing proceeds to step S319.

In step S309, the system control unit 50 performs “photometry” in whichthe brightness of a subject is measured. In step S310, the systemcontrol unit 50 starts a photometry timer T1. The photometry timer T1 isintended to measure a period for continuing the photometry for apredetermined period since the issuance of the photometry instruction.

In step S311, using a known AE (automatic exposure) processingalgorithm, the system control unit 50 calculates a plurality ofcombinations of the aperture value and the shutter speed that achieveappropriate exposure. Note that there is a case where the user wishes tointentionally perform image capturing with exposure that is differentfrom the appropriate exposure. Therefore, to put it in a more generalmanner, the system control unit 50 decides on predetermined exposurebased on the result of measuring the brightness of the subject(photometry), and calculates a plurality of combinations of the aperturevalue and the shutter speed that correspond to the predeterminedexposure.

In step S312, the system control unit 50 displays a line segmentcorresponding to the plurality of combinations that were calculated instep S311 as a linear indicator in the coordinate system region 402.Therefore, the linear indicator indicates the positions, in thecoordinate system region 402, of the plurality of combinations of theaperture value and the shutter speed that correspond to thepredetermined exposure (e.g., the appropriate exposure). In step S313,the system control unit 50 displays a pointer at an intersection betweenthe linear indicator displayed in step S312 and the horizontal bar 411displayed at the position corresponding to the current aperture value.The system control unit 50 also displays a vertical bar (a second linesegment parallel to the vertical axis) that passes through theintersection (the position of the pointer).

FIG. 4C is a screen that is displayed on the display unit 28 throughprocessing of steps S312 and S313; 412 denotes the linear indicator, 413denotes the pointer, and 414 denotes the vertical bar. Here, thebackground of the coordinate system region 402 is displayed in the formof gradation (a change in tones) in which the brightness or saturationis high on the upper-right side and low on the lower-left side. This isintended to create an advantageous effect of allowing the user tointuitively recognize that the exposure level decreases (the darknessincreases) as the pointer 413 moves toward the upper-right side of thecoordinate system region 402, and that the exposure level increases (thebrightness increases) as the pointer 413 moves toward the lower-leftside of the coordinate system region 402.

As can be understood from FIG. 4C, the system control unit 50 performscontrol to successively display a plurality of images that are generatedthrough continuous image capturing for LV display as LV images on thedisplay unit 28, together with the coordinate system region 402, thelinear indicator 412, and the pointer 413. This is intended to allow theuser to set a combination of, for example, the shutter speed and theaperture value (exposure conditions) in a visually easy-to-understandmanner while checking the composition (the location of the subject, thepercentage of the size of the subject in the total size, etc.) on LVdisplay. That is to say, according to the present embodiment, the usercan set a combination of exposure conditions in an easy-to-understandmanner while checking the composition.

Note that it is permissible for the linear indicator 412 (a firstindicator) to have a line width, include a curved/bent line, and have apattern and the like. Also, it is permissible for the pointer 413 (asecond indicator) to have a shape, a pattern, and the like. Furthermore,in the example of FIG. 4C, as the linear indicator 412 is a continuousline segment, its external appearance connects the positions, in thecoordinate system region 402, of the plurality of combinations of theaperture value and the shutter speed that correspond to thepredetermined exposure (e.g., the appropriate exposure). However,instead of the indicator that connects these positions, discrete(discontinuous) indicators that do not connect these positions may beused.

As can be understood from the order of processing of steps S309, S311,and S312, the system control unit 50 measures the brightness of thesubject, decides on the predetermined exposure (e.g., the appropriateexposure) based on the measurement result, and displays the linearindicator 412 in accordance with the decision of the predeterminedexposure.

In step S314, the system control unit 50 decides on the shutter speedcorresponding to the position of the vertical bar 414 that passesthrough the pointer 413 as a setting value of the shutter speed for mainshooting.

In step S315, the system control unit 50 determines whether an imagecapturing instruction has been issued, for example, the user has presseddown the shutter button 61. When it is determined that the imagecapturing instruction has been issued, processing proceeds to step S316;otherwise, processing proceeds to step S317.

In step S316, the system control unit 50 executes image capturing usingthe current aperture value and shutter speed (the setting value of theaperture and the setting value of the shutter speed for main shootingthat correspond to the position of the pointer 413).

In step S317, the system control unit 50 determines whether thephotometry timer T1 indicates the elapse of the predetermined period.When it is determined that the predetermined period has elapsed,processing proceeds to step S318; otherwise, processing proceeds to stepS320.

In step S318, the system control unit 50 places the linear indicator412, the pointer 413, and the vertical bar 414 of the coordinate systemregion 402 in a non-display state. In step S319, the system control unit50 makes a determination regarding an ending condition, such aspower-OFF. When it is determined that the ending condition has been met,processing of the present flowchart ends; otherwise, processing returnsto step S304.

When it is determined that the photometry timer T1 does not indicate theelapse of the predetermined period in step S317, the system control unit50 determines whether the user has touched the horizontal bar 411 of thecoordinate system region 402 in step S320. When it is determined thatthe user has touched the horizontal bar 411, processing proceeds to stepS321; otherwise, processing proceeds to step S327.

In step S321, the system control unit 50 determines whether the user hasperformed a touch-move. When it is determined that the user hasperformed a touch-move, processing proceeds to step S322; otherwise,processing proceeds to step S326.

In step S322, the system control unit 50 changes the aperture value (thesetting value for main shooting) in accordance with the amount ofmovement of the touch in the vertical axis direction (the directionperpendicular to the horizontal axis) during the touch-move (slideoperation). As the user can change the aperture value via the slideoperation in this way, the user can set exposure conditions whileintuitively understanding the relationship between the aperture valueand the shutter speed. Here, as the display unit 28 of the digitalcamera 100 normally has a size of only 3 inches or so, it is not veryeasy for the user to perform the slide operation in the intendeddirection in the coordinate system region 402. In view of this, thesystem control unit 50 performs control so that, when the slideoperation has been performed by touching the horizontal bar 411 first,the horizontal bar 411 moves in the up-and-down direction based on theamount of movement in the vertical axis direction, and even if the slideoperation has been performed (partially) in the left-and-rightdirection, the amount of movement in the horizontal axis direction doesnot contribute to the movement of the horizontal bar 411.

In step S323, the system control unit 50 changes the shutter speed (thesetting value for main shooting) in accordance with the changed aperturevalue. This change is made so that a combination of the changed aperturevalue and shutter speed corresponds to the appropriate exposure (thepredetermined exposure). Furthermore, based on the aperture value andthe shutter speed that are used in continuous image capturing for LVdisplay, the system control unit 50 adjusts the value of the ISOsensitivity for LV display so that the image quality of LV imagesapproaches the image quality of an image to be generated through imagecapturing that is performed using the setting values of the aperture,the shutter speed, and the ISO sensitivity for main shooting.

In step S324, the system control unit 50 moves the display position ofthe horizontal bar 411 in line with the changed aperture value. In stepS325, the system control unit 50 changes the display position of thepointer 413 in such a manner that it moves on the linear indicator 412(moves along the linear indicator 412) to the position of theintersection between the moved horizontal bar 411 and the linearindicator 412. With this visual movement on the linear indicator 412from the display position before the change to the display positionafter the change, the user can understand the influence of the change inthe aperture value that is made by the user operation on the shutterspeed in a more intuitive manner.

FIG. 5A is a screen that is displayed on the display unit 28 throughprocessing of steps S322 to S325. As can be understood from comparisonwith FIG. 4C, the position of the horizontal bar 411 has moved in linewith the changed aperture value, and the position of the vertical bar414 indicating the shutter speed has moved (as a result of changing theshutter speed in accordance with the changed aperture value). Then, theposition of the pointer 413 has been moved to and displayed at theintersection between the horizontal bar 411 and the linear indicator412. Due to such display, when the shutter speed is decided onautomatically in accordance with a change in the aperture value, howthis decision is made in terms of relationships among respectiveelements displayed in the coordinate system region 402 can be presentedin a visually easy-to-understand manner. Furthermore, as the setting ofthe aperture value can be changed by directly operating the horizontalbar 411 indicating the aperture value, intuitive and easy-to-understandoperability is realized.

In step S326, the system control unit 50 determines whether the user hasperformed a touch-up. When it is determined that the user has performeda touch-up, processing returns to step S315; otherwise, processingreturns to step S321.

When it is determined that the user has not touched the horizontal bar411 in step S320, the system control unit 50 determines whether the userhas performed the aperture value changing operation by, for example,operating the diaphragm ring of the lens in step S327. When it isdetermined that the aperture value changing operation has beenperformed, processing proceeds to step S328; otherwise, processingreturns to step S315.

In step S328, the system control unit 50 changes the aperture value inaccordance with the substance of the aperture value changing operation(e.g., the direction and the amount of the operation performed on thediaphragm ring), moves the position of the horizontal bar 411 in thecoordinate system region 402 to the position corresponding to thechanged aperture value, and displays the resultant horizontal bar 411.

In step S329, the system control unit 50 changes the shutter speed inaccordance with the changed aperture value. This change is made so thata combination of the changed aperture value and shutter speedcorresponds to the appropriate exposure (the predetermined exposure).Furthermore, based on the aperture value and the shutter speed that areused in continuous image capturing for LV display, the system controlunit 50 adjusts the value of the ISO sensitivity for LV display so thatthe image quality of LV images approaches the image quality of an imageto be generated through image capturing that is performed using thesetting values of the aperture, the shutter speed, and the ISOsensitivity for main shooting.

In step S330, the system control unit 50 changes the display position ofthe pointer 413 in such a manner that it moves on the linear indicator412 (moves along the linear indicator 412) to the position of theintersection between the moved horizontal bar 411 and the linearindicator 412. With this visual movement on the linear indicator 412from the display position before the change to the display positionafter the change, the user can understand the influence of the change inthe aperture value that is made by the user operation on the shutterspeed in a more intuitive manner.

FIG. 5B is a screen that is displayed on the display unit 28 throughprocessing of steps S328 to S330. As can be understood from comparisonwith FIG. 4C, the position of the horizontal bar 411 has moved in linewith the changed aperture value, and the position of the vertical bar414 indicating the shutter speed has moved (as a result of changing theshutter speed in accordance with the changed aperture value). Then, theposition of the pointer 413 has been moved to and displayed at theintersection between the horizontal bar 411 and the linear indicator412. Due to such display, when the shutter speed is decided onautomatically in accordance with a change in the aperture value, howthis decision is made in terms of relationships among respectiveelements displayed in the coordinate system region 402 can be presentedin a visually easy-to-understand manner.

Next, a description is given of a case where the aperture value isdecided on automatically based on another setting, such as a case wherethe “shutter speed priority mode” is set as the image capturing mode.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are a flowchart showing the flow of the setting ofexposure conditions in the shutter speed priority mode using theexposure setting apparatus (digital camera 100) of FIG. 1. Processing ofrespective steps of the present flowchart is realized as the systemcontrol unit 50 of the digital camera 100 deploys a processing programrecorded in the nonvolatile memory 56 to the system memory 52 andexecuting the processing program, unless specifically stated otherwise.In FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C, the steps in which processing that is the same asor similar to processing of FIG. 3A to 3C are given the same referencesigns as in FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C. Processing of the present flowchart isstarted when a user turns ON the power of the digital camera 100 andsets the shutter speed priority mode as the image capturing mode.

Following the display of the coordinate system in step S303 (see FIG.4A), in step S604, the system control unit 50 displays a vertical bar atthe position corresponding to the current shutter speed within thecoordinate system region 402 displayed in step S303. FIG. 7A is a screenthat is displayed on the display unit 28 in step S604; 414 denotes thevertical bar. As a result of executing processing of step S604 followingstep S303, the state of the display unit 28 makes a transition from FIG.4A to FIG. 7A. Here, the system control unit 50 displays the verticalbar 414 in an enhanced manner by, for example, giving a specific color(e.g., orange) to the vertical bar 414, displaying the vertical bar 414as a thick bar, or surrounding the vertical bar 414 with a line. Thisenhanced display is performed with an intention to allow the user torecognize that the shutter speed indicated by the vertical bar 414 canbe changed directly by a user operation.

In step S605, the system control unit 50 determines whether the user hasperformed a shutter speed changing operation by, for example, operatinga shutter speed setting dial (not shown). When it is determined that theshutter speed changing operation has been performed, processing proceedsto step S606; otherwise, processing proceeds to step S608.

In step S606, the system control unit 50 changes the shutter speed (thesetting value for main shooting) in accordance with the substance of theshutter speed changing operation (e.g., the direction and the amount ofthe operation performed on the shutter speed setting dial). Then, thesystem control unit 50 moves the position of the vertical bar 414 in thecoordinate system region 402 to the position corresponding to thechanged shutter speed, and displays the resultant vertical bar 414.

In step S607, the system control unit 50 adjusts the display imagequality of live-view display so that live-view display is performed withgood visibility also under the changed shutter speed. Thereafter,processing returns to step S604.

Meanwhile, when processing proceeds from step S605 to step S613 viasteps S308 to S312, the system control unit 50 displays a pointer at anintersection between a linear indicator displayed in step S312 and thevertical bar 414 displayed at the position corresponding to the currentshutter speed. The system control unit 50 also displays a horizontal barthat passes through the intersection (the position of the pointer).

FIG. 7B is a screen that is displayed on the display unit 28 throughprocessing of steps S312 and S613; 411 denotes the horizontal bar, 412denotes the linear indicator, and 413 denotes the pointer. Here, thebackground of the coordinate system region 402 is displayed in the formof gradation (a change in tones) in which the brightness or saturationis high on the upper-right side and low on the lower-left side. This isintended to create an advantageous effect of allowing the user tointuitively recognize that the exposure level decreases (the darknessincreases) as the pointer 413 moves toward the upper-right side of thecoordinate system region 402, and that the exposure level increases (thebrightness increases) as the pointer 413 moves toward the lower-leftside of the coordinate system region 402.

Note that it is permissible for the linear indicator 412 (the firstindicator) to have a line width, include a curved/bent line, and have apattern and the like. Also, it is permissible for the pointer 413 (thesecond indicator) to have a shape, a pattern, and the like. Furthermore,in the example of FIG. 7B, as the linear indicator 412 is a continuousline segment, its external appearance connects the positions, in thecoordinate system region 402, of the plurality of combinations of theaperture value and the shutter speed that correspond to thepredetermined exposure (e.g., the appropriate exposure). However,instead of the indicator that connects these positions, discrete(discontinuous) indicators that do not connect these positions may beused.

In step S614, the system control unit 50 decides on the aperture valuecorresponding to the position of the horizontal bar 411 that passesthrough the pointer 413 as a setting value of the aperture for mainshooting.

When processing has proceeded to step S618 via steps S315 and S317, thesystem control unit 50 places the horizontal bar 411, the linearindicator 412, and the pointer 413 of the coordinate system region 402in a non-display state.

When it is determined that the photometry timer T1 does not indicate theelapse of the predetermined period in step S317, the system control unit50 determines whether the user has touched the vertical bar 414 of thecoordinate system region 402 in step S620. When it is determined thatthe user has touched the vertical bar 414, processing proceeds to stepS621; otherwise, processing proceeds to step S627.

In step S621, the system control unit 50 determines whether the user hasperformed a touch-move. When it is determined that the user hasperformed a touch-move, processing proceeds to step S622; otherwise,processing proceeds to step S626.

In step S622, the system control unit 50 changes the shutter speed (thesetting value for main shooting) in accordance with the amount ofmovement of the touch in the horizontal axis direction (the directionperpendicular to the vertical axis) during the touch-move (slideoperation).

In step S623, the system control unit 50 changes the aperture value (thesetting value for main shooting) in accordance with the changed shutterspeed. This change is made so that a combination of the changed aperturevalue and shutter speed corresponds to the appropriate exposure (thepredetermined exposure). Furthermore, based on the aperture value andthe shutter speed that are used in continuous image capturing for LVdisplay, the system control unit 50 adjusts the value of the ISOsensitivity for LV display so that the image quality of LV imagesapproaches the image quality of an image to be generated through imagecapturing that is performed using the setting values of the aperture,the shutter speed, and the ISO sensitivity for main shooting.

In step S624, the system control unit 50 moves the display position ofthe vertical bar 414 in line with the changed shutter speed. In stepS625, the system control unit 50 changes the display position of thepointer 413 in such a manner that it moves on the linear indicator 412(moves along the linear indicator 412) to the position of theintersection between the moved vertical bar 414 and the linear indicator412. With this visual movement on the linear indicator 412 from thedisplay position before the change to the display position after thechange, the user can understand the influence of the change in theshutter speed that is made by the user operation on the aperture valuein a more intuitive manner.

FIG. 8A is a screen that is displayed on the display unit 28 throughprocessing of steps S622 to S625. As can be understood from comparisonwith FIG. 7B, the position of the vertical bar 414 has moved in linewith the changed shutter speed, and the position of the horizontal bar411 indicating the aperture value has moved (as a result of changing theaperture value in accordance with the changed shutter speed). Then, theposition of the pointer 413 has been moved to and displayed at theintersection between the vertical bar 414 and the linear indicator 412.Due to such display, when the aperture value is decided on automaticallyin accordance with a change in the shutter speed, how this decision ismade in terms of relationships among respective elements displayed inthe coordinate system region 402 can be presented in a visuallyeasy-to-understand manner. Furthermore, as the setting of the shutterspeed can be changed by directly operating the vertical bar 414indicating the shutter speed, intuitive and easy-to-understandoperability is realized.

In step S626, the system control unit 50 determines whether the user hasperformed a touch-up. When it is determined that the user has performeda touch-up, processing returns to step S315; otherwise, processingreturns to step S621.

When it is determined that the user has not touched the vertical bar 414in step S620, the system control unit 50 determines whether the user hasperformed the shutter speed changing operation by, for example,operating the shutter speed setting dial in step S627. When it isdetermined that the shutter speed changing operation has been performed,processing proceeds to step S628; otherwise, processing returns to stepS315.

In step S628, the system control unit 50 changes the shutter speed inaccordance with the substance of the shutter speed changing operation(e.g., the direction and the amount of the operation performed on theshutter speed setting dial). Then, the system control unit 50 moves theposition of the vertical bar 414 in the coordinate system region 402 tothe position corresponding to the changed shutter speed, and displaysthe resultant vertical bar 414.

In step S629, the system control unit 50 changes the aperture value inaccordance with the changed shutter speed. This change is made so that acombination of the changed aperture value and shutter speed correspondsto the appropriate exposure (the predetermined exposure). Furthermore,based on the aperture value and the shutter speed that are used incontinuous image capturing for LV display, the system control unit 50adjusts the value of the ISO sensitivity for LV display so that theimage quality of LV images approaches the image quality of an image tobe generated through image capturing that is performed using the settingvalues of the aperture, the shutter speed, and the ISO sensitivity formain shooting.

In step S630, the system control unit 50 changes the display position ofthe pointer 413 in such a manner that it moves on the linear indicator412 (moves along the linear indicator 412) to the position of theintersection between the moved vertical bar 414 and the linear indicator412. With this visual movement on the linear indicator 412 from thedisplay position before the change to the display position after thechange, the user can understand the influence of the change in theshutter speed that is made by the user operation on the aperture valuein a more intuitive manner.

FIG. 8B is a screen that is displayed on the display unit 28 throughprocessing of steps S628 to S630. As can be understood from comparisonwith FIG. 7B, the position of the vertical bar 414 has moved in linewith the changed shutter speed, and the position of the horizontal bar411 indicating the aperture value has moved (as a result of changing theaperture value in accordance with the changed shutter speed). Then, theposition of the pointer 413 has been moved to and displayed at theintersection between the vertical bar 414 and the linear indicator 412.Due to such display, when the aperture value is decided on automaticallyin accordance with a change in the shutter speed, how this decision ismade in terms of relationships among respective elements displayed inthe coordinate system region 402 can be presented in a visuallyeasy-to-understand manner.

Note that the description of FIG. 3A to FIG. 5B has been given inrelation to the case of the image capturing mode in which the shutterspeed is decided on automatically based on the aperture value that canbe changed by a user operation (the aperture priority mode). On theother hand, the description of FIG. 6A to FIG. 8B has been given inrelation to the case of the image capturing mode in which the aperturevalue is decided on automatically based on the shutter speed that can bechanged by a user operation (the shutter speed priority mode). That isto say, the foregoing has described a case where two exposure controlparameters that correspond to the two axes of the coordinate systemregion 402 (a first exposure control parameter and a second exposurecontrol parameter) are the aperture value and the shutter speed,respectively. However, in the present embodiment, a combination of thesetwo exposure control parameters is not limited to the aperture value andthe shutter speed. For example, any two of the aperture value, theshutter speed, and the ISO sensitivity can be selected as the twoexposure control parameters that correspond to the two axes of thecoordinate system region 402. For example, when the aperture value andthe ISO sensitivity have been selected, the ISO sensitivity is replacedwith the shutter speed in the description about the adjustment of thevalue of the ISO sensitivity for LV display in steps S323, S329, S623,and S629. That is to say, the target of this adjustment is an exposurecontrol parameter that has not been selected as the two exposure controlparameters that correspond to the two axes of the coordinate systemregion 402.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the digitalcamera 100 displays the coordinate system region 402 representing acoordinate system that includes a first axis corresponding to the firstexposure control parameter (e.g., the aperture value) and a second axiscorresponding to the second exposure control parameter (e.g., theshutter speed). The digital camera 100 also displays the first indicator(e.g., the linear indicator 412) indicating the positions, in thecoordinate system region 402, of a plurality of combinations of a valueof the first exposure control parameter and a value of the secondexposure control parameter that correspond to the predetermined exposure(e.g., the appropriate exposure). The digital camera 100 furtherdisplays the second indicator (e.g., the pointer 413) indicating theposition, in the coordinate system region 402, of a combination of asetting value of the first exposure control parameter and a settingvalue of the second exposure control parameter.

This enables the user to intuitively understand the influence of achange in one setting value on another setting value in a situationwhere another setting value is decided on automatically based on onesetting value so that the combination of setting values of the twoexposure control parameters corresponds to the predetermined exposure.

Note that various types of control that have been described above asbeing performed by the system control unit 50 may be performed by oneitem of hardware, or a plurality of items of hardware (e.g., a pluralityof processors and circuits) may share processing to control the entireapparatus.

Furthermore, although the present invention has been described in detailbased on its preferred embodiment, the present invention is not limitedto such a specific embodiment, and the present invention encompasses avariety of modes that do not depart from the essential spirit of thisinvention. In addition, the foregoing embodiment merely represents oneembodiment of the present invention, and different embodiments may becombined where appropriate.

Also, the foregoing embodiment has been described in relation to thecase where the exposure setting apparatus is the digital camera.However, the foregoing embodiment is also applicable to, for example, anexposure measurement device that measures the brightness of a subjectdesired by the user and calculates preferred exposure conditions, aremote controller that remotely controls an image capturing apparatus,and so forth. The foregoing embodiment is also applicable to a digitalvideo camera, a digital single-lens camera, a mobile informationterminal, a tablet PC, a mobile telephone, and other exposure settingapparatuses that can set exposure conditions. The foregoing embodimentis further applicable to a personal computer, a PDA, a mobile telephoneterminal, a mobile image viewer, a display-equipped printer apparatus, adigital picture frame, a music player, a game device, an electronic bookreader, and so forth.

Also, the present invention is applicable not only to an image capturingapparatus itself, but also to a control apparatus that communicates withan image capturing apparatus (including a network camera) via wired orwireless communication and remotely controls the image capturingapparatus. Apparatuses that remotely control an image capturingapparatus include, for example, such apparatuses as a smartphone, atablet PC, and a desktop PC. An image capturing apparatus can beremotely controlled by a control apparatus notifying the image capturingapparatus of a command that causes various types of operations andsettings to be made based on operations performed in the controlapparatus and processing performed in the control apparatus.Furthermore, live-view images shot by an image capturing apparatus maybe received via wired or wireless communication and displayed on acontrol apparatus.

OTHER EMBODIMENTS

Embodiment(s) of the present invention can also be realized by acomputer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computerexecutable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on astorage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/orthat includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or moreof the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by thecomputer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out andexecuting the computer executable instructions from the storage mediumto perform the functions of one or more of the above-describedembodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). Thecomputer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processingunit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network ofseparate computers or separate processors to read out and execute thecomputer executable instructions. The computer executable instructionsmay be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or thestorage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or moreof a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM),a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as acompact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™),a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No.2019-147957, filed Aug. 9, 2019, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. An exposure setting apparatus, comprising: anobtainment unit configured to obtain a setting value of a first exposurecontrol parameter; a first decision unit configured to decide on asetting value of a second exposure control parameter based on thesetting value of the first exposure control parameter so that acombination of the setting value of the first exposure control parameterand the setting value of the second exposure control parametercorresponds to predetermined exposure; and a display control unitconfigured to perform control to display a coordinate system region, afirst indicator, and a second indicator on a display unit, thecoordinate system region representing a coordinate system that includesa first axis corresponding to the first exposure control parameter and asecond axis corresponding to the second exposure control parameter, thefirst indicator indicating positions, in the coordinate system region,of a plurality of combinations of a value of the first exposure controlparameter and a value of the second exposure control parameter thatcorrespond to the predetermined exposure, the second indicatorindicating a position, in the coordinate system region, of thecombination of the setting value of the first exposure control parameterand the setting value of the second exposure control parameter.
 2. Theexposure setting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising achange unit configured to change the setting value of the first exposurecontrol parameter in accordance with a user operation, wherein when thesetting value of the first exposure control parameter has been changed,the first decision unit changes the setting value of the second exposurecontrol parameter based on the changed setting value of the firstexposure control parameter so that a combination of the changed settingvalue of the first exposure control parameter and the changed settingvalue of the second exposure control parameter corresponds to thepredetermined exposure, and the display control unit performs control tochange a display position of the second indicator to indicate aposition, in the coordinate system region, of the combination of thechanged setting value of the first exposure control parameter and thechanged setting value of the second exposure control parameter.
 3. Theexposure setting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the firstindicator has an external appearance that connects the positions, in thecoordinate system region, of the plurality of combinations thatcorrespond to the predetermined exposure, and performing control tochange the display position of the second indicator includes performingcontrol in such a manner that the second indicator moves along the firstindicator from the display position of the second indicator before thechange to the display position thereof after the change.
 4. The exposuresetting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display control unitperforms control to display a first line segment on the display unit,the first line segment being parallel to the second axis and passingthrough the position, in the coordinate system region, of thecombination of the setting value of the first exposure control parameterand the setting value of the second exposure control parameter, and whenthe setting value of the first exposure control parameter has beenchanged, the display control unit performs control to change a displayposition of the first line segment to pass through the position, in thecoordinate system region, of the combination of the changed settingvalue of the first exposure control parameter and the changed settingvalue of the second exposure control parameter.
 5. The exposure settingapparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a detection unitconfigured to detect a touch with respect to the display unit, whereinwhen a slide operation involving a touch from the display position ofthe first line segment to another position has been detected, the changeunit changes the setting value of the first exposure control parameterbased on an amount of movement of the touch in a direction perpendicularto the second axis during the slide operation.
 6. The exposure settingapparatus according to claim 4, wherein the display control unitperforms control to display a second line segment on the display unit,the second line segment being parallel to the first axis and passingthrough the position, in the coordinate system region, of thecombination of the setting value of the first exposure control parameterand the setting value of the second exposure control parameter.
 7. Theexposure setting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: aphotometry unit configured to measure a brightness of a subject; and asecond decision unit configured to decide on the predetermined exposurebased on a result of the measurement, wherein the display control unitperforms control to display the first indicator in accordance with thedecision on the predetermined exposure based on the result of themeasurement.
 8. The exposure setting apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the display control unit performs control to successivelydisplay a plurality of images that are generated through continuousimage capturing performed by an image capturing unit as live-view imageson the display unit, together with the coordinate system region, thefirst indicator, and the second indicator.
 9. The exposure settingapparatus according to claim 8, further comprising an exposure controlunit configured to perform control to, based on a value of the firstexposure control parameter and a value of the second exposure controlparameter that are used in the continuous image capturing, adjust avalue of a third exposure control parameter used in the continuous imagecapturing so that an image quality of the live-view images approaches animage quality of an image to be generated through image capturing thatis performed by the image capturing unit using the setting value of thefirst exposure control parameter, the setting value of the secondexposure control parameter, and a setting value of the third exposurecontrol parameter.
 10. The exposure setting apparatus according to claim1, wherein the first exposure control parameter is one of an aperturevalue, a shutter speed, and an ISO sensitivity, when the first exposurecontrol parameter is the aperture value, the second exposure controlparameter is the shutter speed or the ISO sensitivity, when the firstexposure control parameter is the shutter speed, the second exposurecontrol parameter is the aperture value or the ISO sensitivity, and whenthe first exposure control parameter is the ISO sensitivity, the secondexposure control parameter is the aperture value or the shutter speed.11. A control method of an exposure setting apparatus, comprising:obtaining a setting value of a first exposure control parameter;deciding on a setting value of a second exposure control parameter basedon the setting value of the first exposure control parameter so that acombination of the setting value of the first exposure control parameterand the setting value of the second exposure control parametercorresponds to predetermined exposure; and performing control to displaya coordinate system region, a first indicator, and a second indicator ona display unit, the coordinate system region representing a coordinatesystem that includes a first axis corresponding to the first exposurecontrol parameter and a second axis corresponding to the second exposurecontrol parameter, the first indicator indicating positions, in thecoordinate system region, of a plurality of combinations of a value ofthe first exposure control parameter and a value of the second exposurecontrol parameter that correspond to the predetermined exposure, thesecond indicator indicating a position, in the coordinate system region,of the combination of the setting value of the first exposure controlparameter and the setting value of the second exposure controlparameter.
 12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium whichstores a program for causing a computer to execute a control methodcomprising: obtaining a setting value of a first exposure controlparameter; deciding on a setting value of a second exposure controlparameter based on the setting value of the first exposure controlparameter so that a combination of the setting value of the firstexposure control parameter and the setting value of the second exposurecontrol parameter corresponds to predetermined exposure; and performingcontrol to display a coordinate system region, a first indicator, and asecond indicator on a display unit, the coordinate system regionrepresenting a coordinate system that includes a first axiscorresponding to the first exposure control parameter and a second axiscorresponding to the second exposure control parameter, the firstindicator indicating positions, in the coordinate system region, of aplurality of combinations of a value of the first exposure controlparameter and a value of the second exposure control parameter thatcorrespond to the predetermined exposure, the second indicatorindicating a position, in the coordinate system region, of thecombination of the setting value of the first exposure control parameterand the setting value of the second exposure control parameter.